"Is God egotistical for wanting every single person to worship and glorify Him?" That's what one of my students asked over coffee the other day. It's a good question and I've heard it voiced many times before in one form or another. I had never given much thought as to how to answer it, but for some reason, sitting there in Starbucks, the answer just plopped into my brain. "No," I replied. "That doesn't make God an egomaniac at all. Think about it: From eternity past, the three members of the Trinity have ever existed in perfect love, joy, peace and communion. In their interrelationship perfection is found. And God in His kindness is simply inviting His creation to join in on that joy and perfection! He didn't need to create us...He was totally satisfied with Himself...but He did create us and now invites and even demands us to participate in the pleasures of His perfection. Commanding people to worship Him is the most loving thing God can do! In essence He's saying...'Hey, you! Come get in on this action! It's awesome! I've got perfect love, joy, peace and communion just bubbling over in boundless excess! I want to share it with you! And by the way, there's nothing else out there for you besides me!' By demanding people to worship Him and nothing else, God is actually sparing us from a life of nothingness. He's not some insecure old man looking for false validation and forced praise. He is a loving Father who knows what will bring His children everlasting satisfaction: Himself! That's why He commands us to worship Him because by worshiping Him we receive exactly what we've always needed and more than what we've ever wanted!"

"Oh," said my student. "That makes sense."

Yes, it does. Yes, it does.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. -Psalm 100:1-3

I've heard it said that going to church is one of the most dangerous things you can do. The reasoning behind this statement is that the more frequently we attend church, the more we hear God's word, the more accountable we become if we don't keep God's word! We will be judged according to the knowledge that we have!

By and large, a problem with American Christians (myself included) is that we are hearers of the Word but not doers. We love input but have very little output (that's called constipation, by the way). In Jeremiah 22, God tells King Shallum to do what is right and just and defend the cause of the poor and needy. Then God adds, "Is that not what it means to know me?" In other words, knowing God equals ACTION! Knowing God is DOING what God does. Knowing God is not in our brains but in our HANDS. We become more like Him in our actions as we come to know Him more with our minds.

But this is not the case for many American Christians. Quite the contrary; many of us attend church, bible studies and prayer groups, cramming our minds with all sorts of information about God, yet do not let that information transform the way we live. Let's use an example: We know that God commands us to take care of the poor and needy. It's a command of God! We know the command, but how many of us have actually taken proactive steps to fulfilling that command in a serious way? I know I haven't. That is just one of many examples of how we fail to do what we know. But neglecting to practice the things that we know is to our own detriment.

The Bible says that we will be judged according to how much we know. Luke 12:47-48 says,“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. In Romans 2 we see that the Gentiles will be judged by their conscience, "the law written on their hearts", and the Jews will be judged by the law. But both groups will be judged for not practicing or living up to the law that they each have. Paul goes on to say "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous." (Romans 2:13). James 4:17 says, "If anyone knows the good they ought to do and fails to do it, it is sin for them". The list of verses could go on and on, but the point is clear: The more we know, the more strictly we will be judged.

It is not enough to know...we must also do. Otherwise, you'd better quit going to church!

What are some things you know you ought to be doing (or not doing) but have been neglecting to do?